Frequently Asked Questions

The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery is a visionary public-private partnership that has taken shape as an innovative building housing two world-class research institutes and a public space for campus and community members to gather and celebrate science. The Morgridge Institute for Research is a private, nonprofit research institute that works to accelerate delivery of scientific discoveries to the public to improve human health and well-being. The public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery is part of UW–Madison and organized under its Graduate School to advance interdisciplinary research and collaboration among faculty, staff and students in diverse fields. The Town Center is designed to further inspire collaboration, create connections and serve as a hub of activities for campus and the community including students, teachers, members of the business community, cultural organizations and learners of all ages.

The building is at 330 N. Orchard St. between University Avenue and Campus Drive.  Directions are available here.

Parking is available in the Union South underground parking garage, which can be accessed from Dayton Street. Visitor parking at Union South costs $1 per 30 minutes for the first two hours and $1 per hour thereafter, up to a maximum of $12 per day.

Parking also is available in Lot 20, which serves Genetics and the McArdle Laboratory and can be accessed from University Avenue, and in Lot 17, which is behind Engineering Hall and Camp Randall Stadium and can be accessed via North Randall Avenue. Parking at these ramps costs $7 for half a day, $12 for a full day and usually is free after 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on weekends. Prices and availability are subject to change. For more information, please contact Transportation Services.

Individuals can be dropped off at the main entrance to the building on Orchard Street. Disabled parking is available nearby at Union South and in lots 17 and 20. For more information about campus accessibility, please visit www.wisc.edu/accessibility/index.php.

The partnership involves a $50 million donation from UW–Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge, a $110 million gift from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and $50 million in approved state funding. The twin interdisciplinary research institutes – the public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and the private Morgridge Institute for Research – work collaboratively to bring together scientists and researchers from a broad spectrum of disciplines, such as the arts, humanities, social sciences, education, business and law. In addition, the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery facility includes extensive public space in its Town Center intended to promote dialogue among diverse parts of UW–Madison and the larger community.

The public institute, the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, is part of the university organized under its Graduate School, and all of its principal investigators have regular faculty appointments in UW departments. The private institute, the Morgridge Institute for Research, is an independent 501(c)3 Medical Research Organization. It interacts with and complements both UW–Madison and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. The Morgridge Institute executive director reports to the Morgridge Institute for Research board of trustees, which is independent and entirely separate from the governance structure of the university. Principal investigators at Morgridge may have joint appointments to UW departments but are independently employed through the Morgridge Institute for Research. The Town Center encompasses the main floor of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery facility.  It is designed to welcome all with food, interactive displays, ongoing activities, hands-on learning labs, events and meeting spaces.

The 300,000 square foot building occupies an entire block and project costs for design, construction, extensive laboratory infrastructure and sustainability features totaled $210 million.

This location is near the heart of the campus’s urban neighborhood and is close to related sciences. The site is within two blocks of the buildings that house biochemistry, physics, medical sciences research, the Genetics-Biotechnology Center, engineering, computer sciences and chemistry. The development is a key part of the Campus Master Plan.

The institutes build on the long tradition of interdisciplinary research at UW–Madison. Today’s problems relating to human health and welfare are more complex than one individual, one department or one institution can solve. The twin research institutes encourage the kind of cross-pollination needed to attack these problems and the building’s Town Center serves as a vibrant crossroads for researchers to meet, hold joint conferences and participate in collaborative events that will extend the efforts at the institutes beyond the facility itself. One of the project’s key objectives is to foster new approaches to biomedical problems at the convergence of various disciplines, including the arts, business, education, humanities, law, social sciences and more.

Construction was completed in November 2010.  The facility’s grand opening was Dec. 2, 2010. Tours are available on request.

The Town Center, which encompasses the main floor of the facility, is open to the public. It welcomes campus and community members for events that celebrate science and creativity. Visitors will find ample opportunity for hands-on learning as they explore the discovery niches, teaching labs and interactive displays. Regularly scheduled events are suited to all ages and include Saturday science activities, science cafes, presentations, performances and more. More structured outreach programs and workshops offer participants the opportunity to connect with a broad range of scientific topics ranging from regenerative biology to rapid prototyping. And casual visitors are always invited to dine at the Town Center’s food venues, which feature regionally grown and freshly prepared foods. 

The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery building is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Guided tours of the Town Center are available at 2 p.m. on Friday and at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
 

Conference and event spaces, as well as the teaching labs, can be reserved. See www.discovery.wisc.edu/spaces for links to an application form and details about how to inquire about holding events in the Town Center.

The architectural and engineering teams were committed to constructing a "green" building that consumes approximately 50 percent less energy than comparable UW–Madison research facilities. The Discovery building is the first laboratory building in Wisconsin to receive LEED (Leadership in Environment and Energy Design) gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The facility achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and building materials as well as incorporating other sustainable strategies.  

Designing a building for maximum flexibility is one answer; creating spaces that promote impromptu interactions is another. For example, open areas for seating; shared facilities such as conference and break rooms; and stairways with windows and views all lead people to cross paths frequently and, hopefully, stop and talk.

The laboratory space in the institutes also has been designed to promote collaboration among individuals and teams. Each laboratory zone, or "pod," houses open lab areas that can be occupied by more than one principal investigator. The pods also feature communal equipment areas that encourage interaction as well as unassigned meeting space that can be used for spur-of-the-moment discussions and sharing of data.

Education is a key focus for both the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and the Morgridge Institute for Research.  Dedicated teaching labs are included on each of the three upper research floors and will be used for special courses for undergraduates and graduate students, and to develop unique opportunities for K-12 students, professionals, lifelong learners and others to experience diverse hands-on laboratory skills. In addition, both institutes will develop partnerships with the School of Education as well as school systems, existing science learning programs and community groups.

In addition to helping build a knowledge-based Wisconsin economy in 21st century industries, the institutes reach out statewide and globally on a number of fronts. The institutes have state-of-the-art multimedia and telecommunications capability. Seminars and interactive web-based programs presented by institute scholars could be provided to other UW System campuses. Hands-on science programs are available for K-12 students and visiting researchers will be invited to take part in the institutes’ work. Public lectures and other events translate science for a lay audience and make it come alive for members of the community.

John and Tashia Morgridge are passionate about education and research. The institutes offer students of every age unique opportunities for hands-on training in cross-disciplinary approaches to complex problems. The Morgridges want to foster collaborative research and the building allows for that by creating an environment in which collaboration can easily occur. Grants and fellowships for researchers must also play a role. Great minds working collaboratively will create discoveries that will benefit the students, the university, the state and the world.

To make a gift to the Morgridge Institute for Research or to learn more about how to support programs at the Town Center or at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, contact:

Sara DeTienne
Director of Development
Morgridge Institute for Research
5501 Research Park Blvd
Madison, WI 53719-1231 USA
608.316.4104
sdetienne@morgridgeinstitute.org